Man dies in Warrenton shooting at apartment

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man was fatally shot Tuesday after breaking into a bedroom where four people had gathered to protect themselves from his intrusion, the authorities said.

The 39-year-old man, whose name has not been released, died at the scene — an apartment above a beauty salon in the coastal city of Warrenton.

Some initial media reports said officers had been involved in the shooting and there had been a hostage situation. Neither was true, said Mathew Workman, the chief of police in the city of about 5,500 residents.

The chaotic situation began shortly before 11 a.m., when a 46-year-old woman and three teenagers (a 19-year-old man and two girls) reported to 911 that they had locked themselves in the bedroom because a man they knew had broken into the apartment and claimed to have a gun.

The residents continued to speak with police dispatchers as officers from several agencies arrived, told a beauty salon employee to evacuate and started taking tactical positions. Soon, the man forced his way into the bedroom and was fatally shot, Workman said.

The chief said the residents had two weapons in the bedroom. He did not disclose how many shots were fired or whether the shooting victim had a gun.

Workman declined to release the names of those involved until relatives are notified. He said the man appears to have been an "ex of some sort," but he wasn't sure of the relationship.

The four people inside the bedroom were interviewed by investigators at the scene and later at the police station.

"They were pretty freaked out," Workman said.

No arrests have been made. Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis said his office will likely decide within a couple days whether anyone will face charges.

"Obviously that means what we're looking at is a possible self-defense or justified shooting," he said.

There have been several shootings along the north coast in recent months, but Tuesday's was the first that ended in death. In March, a homeowner near Warrenton shot an intruder who had burglarized his place twice before. Marquis' office determined the shooting was justified.